I want to ride bike again

I have not ridden a bike in years! I want to ride again, but fear of the seat causing sciatica pain is stopping me. Any thoughts?

 

Hell yeh...!

I had 'fibromyalgia' (so called) and for over 20 years I was in chronic pain and stopped doing everything i loved, no walking, no cycling, no life. Then - even before i found Sarno and TMS, I had decided that i would be in pain whether i did things or no. So (after many months working up to it) I got a bike, loaded it up and cycled the pilgrim routes of Portugal, Spain and France for 4 months - with my long-suffering husband. It was excruciatingly painful and I was exhausted most of the time BUT - i did it - I got my life back, I felt the pain and just carried on.
Part of the 'fibro' was sciatical pain, and the first day I had to slather myself in muscle lotion from head to toe.
Having since found the Structured Educational Programme on TMSwiki and Sarno's books - I am now pain free and again working as a landscaper and garden designer. I am just about to cycle around Wales too.
Do not let pain dictate to you what you can or cannot do. I have met people cycling cross country who have no legs, horrific injuries and even the blind....
Just do it - right now...!

 

Hecate's story is a MIRACLE! WOW! I had "sciatica" pain years ago--along with many other pain spots, ITB, piriformis syndrome, L4/L5 "pinched nerve". Either they were mis-DX's or O2 deprivation but they all went away in a matter of days, weeks or months, (I've still got a hip though, but it's my own). I have no recollection of how many years ago the sciatica was, or for how long it lasted, maybe weeks or months, but it definitely went away--so yours can too! I got on my bike a few years ago and it went fine, I had to be careful getting on and off because of my hip, but once on the saddle no pain. Dr. Sarno would likely tell you to JUST DO IT! If it hurts give it about 20 minutes for your joints to juice up.

 

What a great story! You are such an inspiration!

 

I am hoping to get back on my bike too. Riding doesn't hurt, but I can't lift my leg over to get on the bike and my balance os off.

 

I'm in the same boat--er, bike, when I took my bike ride a while back I put the bike down on it's side and then got on. To get off, I pulled up to a garage door or another solid object for support and lowered the bike down--something like that.

 

For the first year I did the same, then I got a women's smaller bike. (I'm tall and had a men's bike, which is ok as my now tall son can ride it. )

 

Hi ,

I have footpain, and had pain in the buttock maybe periformis.. Maybe sciartica : they could never agree so would not label it now : that pain is gone! What i am doing is using a Stationary bike. That made it easy to do in the beginning only a few minuten. I have been slowly building that up (no quick and hasty stuff for me) for me that was the way : i could check very carefully what i could do without creating more pain, and i was less scared that way.
I do not believe in the jump on it and act like nothing is wrong. I needed to carefully build up Some confidence.
We all are different ofcourse...
Just try

Karina

 

I had sciatica in both legs. Talk about fear of going paralyzed. But once I learned about TMS and realized that pain, numbness, pins and needles, heavy foot, and whatever weird sensations I felt in my legs were just reduction of blood flow and completely harmless, I started to do more and more and it went away within a day.

In this video, I explain how to plan in the direction of complete recovery.

 

One of my main forms of aerobic exercise over the last 20 years has been indoor rowing. Until I developed "back pain" and "SI joint problems" (note quote marks) I was decent at it and could row formidably. But in the last 7 months I have been really guarding, doing only a few minutes at a time, and at 2/3 of previous intensity, just super easy, too scared to "hurt my back more". But nothing I have done physically has made my condition any better or any worse over that period. So about 2 weeks ago I just said f*ck it, and just wailed away 1000-m at absolute max intensity, as hard as I could. I almost had a heart attack because I'm now out of shape, but it felt great, it did not hurt my back whatsoever doing it nor in the days afterwards. That was an incredible confidence booster, like, woah, there is absolutely no reason for me to be being so careful, and helped to convince me my issues are mental/psychological/nervous system in nature.

So I would say you absolutely should face your fear. Either just jump in and do it, or alternately ease into it: find an exercycle at a gym with a nice padded seat. Do 5 minutes. If that feels ok, do 6 minutes, etc. Then get on your bike outside, similarly just ride up the street for 100 m first, then slowly extend it. Each time you do more will help you mentally.

 

Fantastic! Awesome job.

Yes, fear of TMs can keep us from living a full life.

The 3 biggest mistakes that delay full recovery are
1. Fear of pain
2. Giving in to the pain
3. Focusing on it

Some of you might have seen this video, if not, I explain more here.

 

Spasms are painful but temporary